


Be Kind, Rewind

by SheWritesDirty



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Adding tags as I write this, Blood, Homophobic Language, Lots of 80's Nostalgia, M/M, Masturbation, STEVE IN DENIAL, Steve's Pov, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2020-11-27 09:47:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20946335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheWritesDirty/pseuds/SheWritesDirty
Summary: Steve's attention snapped back to the man in front of him and spent about 10 seconds staring before he realized that Billy meant check him out as in, how a check out clerk might - not check him out as incheck him out- which Steve promptly did... and found himself regretting it almost immediately, because Billy was annoyingly attractive. Not that Steve cared, since Billy was also a total dick - and Steve was100%straight.





	1. Another Day in Paradise

**Author's Note:**

> Right so, we're just gonna pretend some things that happened in the end of season 3 didn't happen. Pretty sure everyone in this fandom is gonna be cool with that.
> 
> So, I really don't know where this fic is going - I mean I have a vague idea but really this is just a fly by the seat of my pants kind of project so, who really knows. It will get dirty between Steve and Billy at some point though, because that's how I roll. BUCKLE UP KIDDIES.
> 
> 10/17/19: went through and fixed up some things in this chapter that didn't flow well. Minor stuff, but it should be a little cleaner now.

** Hawkins Indiana, 1985 - October 11th, Friday **

Steve loved his new job at Family Video. There was less dealing with annoying preteen girls demanding free samples for one. And second, most people came in - rented whatever shitty movie they wanted for the weekend - and got the heck outta dodge. Honestly Steve could get _used_ to this.

Not to mention, he still got to work along-side Robin. Early on in his career as 'Scoops-Ahoy-Ice-Cream-Slave-Boy' he probably would have considered that to be a downside, but things were different now. He and Robin actually had a lot in common - for example they were both _hi_-larious, both of their lives were going absolutely nowhere, and they were both completely hopeless with girls.

Sure, Steve _used_ to be great with them - but it seemed like the glittery sheen of his King-Steve reputation had long since worn off, and it was only getting worse after he was forced to don the highly embarrassing 'Scoops Ahoy' official uniform. 

Which begs the question as to why Keith kept coming up to Steve and asking him _"Where's the ladies man?"_ in between mouth-full's of cheetos, to which Steve always answered eloquently with a following _"Huh?"_ \- Steve swore he could hear Robin snickering from somewhere in the back of the store every time this happened.

His job at Family Video was decidedly less embarrassing than the one at Scoops Ahoy - but it didn't really seem like it was doing much to repair his reputation. But still, he practically gets to watch movies for free the entire time hes working, so there's that. Which turns out, is kind of useful - considering Steve didn't actually know that much about movies prior to working here.

"_Hey dingus!_" Steve was startled out of his daydreaming by the sound of Robins voice shouting across the store at him.

"What?!" He shouted back, as he almost tipped backwards out of the chair that sat behind the counter.

"Zoning out again? Seriously Harrington, you're a grade A space-case" She said, coming around to stand beside him 

"Slow day though so... I guess it doesn't really matter" She comments, looking out at the racks and racks of tapes lined up, there were only a couple people slowly shuffling through them.

"Mrs Wheeler came in earlier and rented 'The Graduate'" Steve said, face pinching up - making no effort to hide how uncomfortable that particular moment had made him feel.

"Ooh, juicy" Robin said, leaning over the counter and angling her face towards Steve. "Wow look at you all clenched - Moms are allowed to have fantasies too you know"

"Ugh - _Please_ stop using the word 'clenched' to describe me..." Steve shuddered.

"Well then stop being so **clenched** Steve - I mean a week ago someone came in and rented 'Porky's' and you looked like you were gonna pass out" Robin said, the disappointment clear in her voice.

"She was like 63!!!" Steve's reply hit an unnaturally high pitch as he shouted at Robin. 

"Yeah well, grandmas can be wild" Robin concluded.

The door to Family Video swung open and the sing-song, mechanical "Bee-Boo" sounded from the speakers above - both Steve and Robin turned their heads to catch who had come in. Steve nearly choked on his own tongue when he saw that it was Billy Hargrove, looking all nonchalant and giving off his usual _too-cool-for-this-shit_ vibe. Robin gave Steve a look; the raised eyebrow, whats-got-you all-flustered kind of look - the one that made Steve want to elbow her in the ribs so she would just _stop_.

Billy seemed to sweep the place with his eyes, sharp and alert like they always were. Almost like he was looking for a fight everywhere he went, most of the time he actually found one. Steve however, was determined that Billy _wasn't_ going to find one here - He promptly stood from his chair and dropped behind the counter in one smooth move. By the time Billy's eyes passed the counter all he saw standing there was Robin, who was unable to keep a bewildered expression off her face.

_"What the heck are you doing"_ She hissed at Steve from behind her teeth as she plastered on a fake smile, directing it towards the new customer. "Welcome to Family Video!" She called out as pleasantly as she could muster in his direction.

"Yeah, whatever" Billy dismissed and took off somewhere towards the back of the store.

_"I'm not here"_ Steve whispered up at Robin, who dropped down to his level.

_"What do you mean you're not here?"_ She whispered back _"I'm not even supposed to be over here I should be restocking the new releases shelf right now!"_

_"Can't you just cover for me? 'Till he's gone"_ Steve whispers back, eyes pleading - unleashing the full 'Steve's Puppy Dog Eyes' treatment

"_Just 'cause he beat you up one time - you can't keep avoiding him"_ Robin whispered back, a single finger jabbing out and hitting him harshly in the chest.

_"Okay, he didn't just 'beat-me-up-one-time' he nearly killed me! And hes a massive asshole besides that!"_ Steve hissed back. Robin popped back up to peer over the counter, the asshole in question was standing in the classic's section, reading the back of a tape with a frown etched onto his face.

_"Seems like your asshole is a reluctant fan of the 'golden age of cinema'"_ Robin whispered back.

_"What? No way-"_ Steve made to stand up and promptly smashed his head into the overhang of the counter.

**"FUCK-"** He cried out as he fell back down and wrapped his hands over the top of his head. Robin couldn't stop laughing, she resembled a hyena Steve thought bitterly - tears were actually pooling at the edges of her eyes and she was wheezing. 

There was the solid 'thunk' of someone smacking two tapes down on the counter followed by impatient tapping, Robin looked even more of out of commission than Steve was... So he stood - taking absolute care to give the over hang a wide birth this time, never let it be said of Steve that he didn't learn his lesson - the momentary shock of pain had actually made him forget why he was hiding in the first place, but the second he finished standing he paled.

"Harrington" Billy said, he looked kind of surprised - but in typical Hargrove fashion he recovered quickly. He went on to look Steve up and down like he was a particularly aromatic piece of dog shit.

"Hargrove" Steve responded, trying to give the same look of disdain back - but it was kind of muddled by the fact that his eyes were watering from the force of impact earlier. He did however manage to raise his eyebrow questioningly at the two VHS tapes Billy had set on the counter: 'The Awful Truth' and 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. Steve wasn't sure there had ever been a more conflicting selection of movies.

"For Max" Billy said, nodding towards the copy of 'The Awful Truth'. He ducked his head as if he was embarrassed, it was subtle - and most people probably would have missed it. But someone like Steve, who was more than familiar with Billy's usual bravado couldn't help but pickup on it. If Steve didn't value his life he probably would have pointed it out. Robin finally got her shit together and staggered to her feet, gripping the counter for balance.

"Well-" She huffed to catch her breath as she spoke "I'll just leave you two kids to it then" She took off from behind the counter and made her way back to the 'new releases' rack. Steve shot her a dirty look as she left, but she couldn't even be bothered to turn around and catch it.

"Earth to Harrington - you gonna check me out?" Billy asked, sounding more annoyed than he usually did. 

Steve's attention snapped back to the man in front of him and spent about 10 seconds staring before he realized that Billy meant check him out as in, how a check out clerk might - not check him out as in _check him out_ \- which Steve promptly did... and found himself regretting it almost immediately, because Billy was annoyingly attractive. Not that Steve cared, since Billy was also a total dick - and Steve was _100%_ straight.

"U-under the account Hargrove?" Steve sputtered out, an involuntary flush crept up the back of his neck.

"Yeah, you must be some kinda genius to have figured that one out" Billy replied, any sense that he might have been thrown off his game earlier was all wiped away now by his trademark predatory grin. It was the look that said there was no greater pleasure in Billy's life than to antagonize another person - and Steve wanted nothing to do with it. He did his best to ignore the jab while grabbing the two tapes, scanning them for "out-on-rent" in the system. He then handed them back over to Billy who in turn tugged them out of Steve's hands.

"Thanks, princess" Billy said, smile growing more venomous with each passing second.

"Right... That's 5$" Steve said refusing to rise to the bait, Billy tossed a crumpled bill onto the counter the grin suddenly falling from his face.

"Stellar service in this shit hole" Billy threw the comment behind his back as he turned to leave.

_"Dick"_ Steve muttered under his breath as the electronic doorbell chimed again to signify Billy's exit.

"That went well" Robin had managed to drag herself away from stocking the new-releases shelf again, _'what a surprise'_ thought Steve.

"Some help you were" Steve admonished, "I thought we were friends"

"We are friends Harrington, which is exactly why I like to see you in horribly - _horribly_ uncomfortable situations" Robin confirmed. "Whose Max?" She went on to ask.

"She's his little sister - or like... Sister in law, I guess" Steve replied, feeling a lot more relaxed now that one of the main sources of stress in his life had left the building.

"The red head?" She asked, Steve nodded the affirmative "Wow - I can't imagine him being a big brother - poor Max"

"Yeah... Poor Max" Steve agreed, staring out of the massive glass windows at the front of the store - watching Billy get into his Camaro and peel out of the Family Video parking lot.

The rest of the day went by pretty uneventfully, which was really how Steve preferred things anyway. After spending the better part of two years helping a gaggle of screeching kids fight off other-worldly monsters he was pretty cool with 'uneventful'.

Steve had spent the end of his work day watching 'First Blood' on the tiny TV screen set up behind the counter, between intermittently checking patrons out. Robin finished her stock work and joined him for the second half of the movie, she had managed to pilfer Keith's cheeto stash at some point and was crunching noisily behind his ear - Steve swatted at her halfheartedly.

"This sucks, what's even happening?" Robin asked, voice muffled by a mouthful of cheetos.

"He's running from the police, 'cause they're assholes" Steve replied, he was totally into the movie - Robin gave him a look like he might be a little stupid, but she didn't say anything else.

They closed up Family Video at 7:30 and Steve gave Robin a ride home before heading out for his own place. Hawkins got dark early in the fall - and it was already pitch black outside by the time he had dropped her off. Hardly anyone was driving around the town this late, and he couldn't help but feel like he was completely alone in this tiny dark void of a town. His hand tapped nervously on the steering wheel as he drove past quiet, tucked in houses. He tried to focus on the sound of his tape deck playing out Starship's new album 'Knee Deep in the Hoopla' rather than this sudden onset of loneliness he was feeling. 

He used to love how far out his house was, backed up right into the surrounding woods - it was secluded. But now that he knew what was _out_ there... What could be lurking in those woods, he just wished he had somewhere else to sleep - somewhere that felt safe. Of course it didn't help that the majority of the time he was alone in the massive house, his parents off on some work-trip like they always were. 

He used to love that too, a few years ago he would have thrown a total _rager_ of a party - invited Tommy and Carol and everyone else from Hawkins High. They probably would have trashed the place, and he wouldn't have even cared. It was a good way to get back at his parents for abandoning him all the time anyway. But things were different now, and if Steve tried to invite any of those people over they probably wouldn't come - and he didn't want to undo all the work he put in convincing himself that he didn't want to see any of them either. 

He pulled up to his house and killed the engine, sat for a moment in his car listening to the soft 'tick-tick'ing as the motor cooled off gradually. It wouldn't take long for it to get cold in the bimmer, just sitting here like this. So he pulled his jacket tight around himself and stepped out into the brisk night air. Cold hit him like he had been dropped into freezing water, and he shivered as he slammed the door shut behind him - his eyes were drawn to the tree line beside his house, and he scanned it quickly before hurriedly covering the ground between his car and the front door. 

He hopped over the steps entirely and jabbed his keys into the lock - turning and pushing open the door, then locking it behind him - he flicked the lights on and leaned back against the door. Steve sighed as the feeling of paranoia left him gradually, and he took in the comforting surroundings. Sure it was empty - which he hated - but it was still home, and the things here were familiar and soothing. He walked to the kitchen and picked up a note from the counter, his mother had left it explaining that they would be gone for the following week on some business retreat - and that there was money for food on the counter. He pocketed the money and opened the fridge, searching for anything he could shove in his face with minimal effort - settling on a couple slices of left over pizza, he practically inhaled them.

He made his way back to the living room, turned on the TV and channel surfed for a few minutes before settling on an episode of 'The Tonight Show'. He began to doze off on the couch to the soothing tones of Carson and audience laughter.

** October 12th, Saturday **

Steve was lucky enough to have weekends off, but he wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to be doing with them. He had planned to just stay in, sleep late - wander aimlessly around the house maybe, but his phone had rung and woken him up. He'd tumbled off of the couch, smacking his shin on the coffee table and crying out in pain. He flailed a hand out in the direction of the table phone and finally made contact with it, knocking it off the receiver and onto the floor beside him - he grabbed it and pulled it to his ear as he pressed the receive call button.

"_Sdebe! Web-all-gobin-do-de-ardabe-tobite-do-bu-waba-cub-wib-us?_" A muffled voice speaking at break neck speed assaulted Steve's ears, it sounded kinda like Dustin - which meant it probably _was_ Dustin.

"Dustin, is that you? What the hell are you saying?" Steve had questioned, one hand scrubbing through the front of his hair and glancing over at his mother's expensive Erwin Sattler wall clock - it was 7am, who calls at 7am on a Saturday?!

"Thorry- Pancabes" Dustin said back, he audibly swallowed the mouthful of food he had been speaking around before continuing "We were all gonna meet up at the Palace to hangout - and I was like _'should I invite Steve?'_ and everyone's like _'yeah Steve's awesome!'_ So yeah, you coming?"

Steve was nineteen, _practically_ an adult - and he was getting invited out by a bunch of fourteen year old kids to hang out at an arcade on Saturday night... And he genuinely wanted to go - this was the bottom, and he had hit it. 

"Uhh, sure Dustin" Steve managed to get out while simultaneously yawning. 

"Great! Be there at 5!" Dustin hung up without waiting to hear Steve's affirmative grunt.

For the rest of the day - leading up to this most anticipated outing - Steve just shambled around the house. He had a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and a cup of coffee for breakfast, the coffee giving him a little more security in the fact that he _was_ basically an adult now... Right? He took a shower, tossed the clothing he had fallen asleep in into the hamper and redressed in a clean shirt and jeans, spent about 30 minutes fixing his hair, made finger guns at himself in the mirror... And by that point he was starting to feel a little better about himself. 

So what if the majority of his friends were a bunch of 9th graders? He was still Steve Harrington, _King Steve_ \- coolest mother fucker on the block. Yeah... Things were gonna turn around for him, he could _feel_ it.

Steve pulled up outside the Palace at exactly 5:24 - which meant he was only marginally late. As he entered he could already hear the voices of Dustin, Louis, Mike and Max carrying through the Arcade. They were arguing about something, probably whatever game cabinet they were currently crowded around. Dustin was the first to notice his arrival and called out to Steve with a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Steve! Finally, where the hell were you?" He said, grabbing Steve's arm and dragging him over. 

Before he knew it, Steve was swarmed by the kids - all of them trying to talk to him at the same time. Turns out the game they were all arguing over was Ghosts 'n Goblins, and it was fucking _impossible_ \- Steve had never seen more quarters consumed by a single arcade game in one night. He had tried twice and then gave up completely, leaving it to the kids to try and beat that one. They returned to him several times to pester more quarters out of him until he had no more to give. Max got bored first and wandered over to sit with him while Lucas wailed "NO! DON'T PICKUP THE FLAME WEAPON!!!" at Mike.

"Hey" Max said as she sat down, sipping on a Coca-cola.

"Hey, how was the movie?" He asked remembering the awkward encounter he had yesterday with her brother.

"What are you talking about?" Max said, giving him a weird look.

"The movie..." Steve repeated, looking confused "The Awful Truth" He clarified.

"Umm, I have no idea what that even is" Max said, sounding annoyed now "Are you like, feeling okay?" 

"Yeah... Yeah, never mind" Steve said, _'Okay that was weird'_ he thought to himself. He was pretty sure he remembered Hargrove checking out The Awful Truth for Max - but apparently she hasn't watched it, and it sounds like she doesn't even know what it is. Which probably means... Steve was still processing this information when Billy Hargrove himself pushes open the doors to The Palace and saunters in, scanning the arcade and zoning in on the table Max and Steve are sitting at.

"On a date with my little sister, Harrington? Do I need to remind you what happens to people who creep on Max?" Billy spits threateningly as he comes up to their table.

"Ew Billy... Gross, we're _not_ on a date" Max replied, her face pinching up. Steve tried not to feel hurt by her genuine disgust over the thought of dating him - Sure, it _would_ be gross, but its not supposed to be gross to _her_.

"It's not just us" Steve points out, defending himself. He motioned over to Lucas, Dustin and Mike - who were still crowded around Ghosts 'n Goblins.

"So, you're on a date with four kids at once?" Billy directed at Steve, his pissed off expression melting away into a shit eating grin.

"Ugh" Max rolls her eyes and stands up from the table, making her way back over to the boys.

"Hey!" Billy calls after her "You need to come home, curfew's up!" 

"Yeah, yeah - Just let me say goodbye" Max calls back. Hargrove stares after her for a moment, before dropping into the seat across from Steve. He's tapping a foot impatiently as he waits for Max to return, avoiding looking over at Steve.

"So..." Steve starts, trying to break the awkward tension that had settled between them "Texas Chainsaw, huh?" Billy glances over at him and stares for a second before answering.

"Ye-p" He replies, popping the p - he doesn't look particularly thrilled to be talking to Steve.

"Kinda predictable, isn't it?" Steve asks, he tries not to think about how this might be considered 'poking-the-bear'. Billy leans in slightly, resting his elbows on the table before responding with -

"What?" It's clipped, and he kind of looks like he might be ready to launch himself over the table and introduce Steve's face to the floor - intimately.

"I mean, the whole... Homicidal-maniac-watches-movies-about-homicidal-maniacs... thing" Steve emphasizes his point with a vague wave of his hand. Much to Steve's relief, Billy's building annoyance suddenly melts away and he leans back, manic grin back in full effect.

"You're one to talk Pretty Boy - I hear you're a huge fan of those stupid frat boy comedies" Billy laughs "I mean could _you_ be any more predictable?"

"OKAY!" Steve shouts, an embarrassed flush hitting his cheeks " Yes! I like Animal House - It's a good movie!" He defends, Billy just laughs more - one of his hands moving to hold his stomach.

"Who even told you that?" Steve asks bitterly, looking around to see if Max was coming back yet - she was still hugging Lucas goodbye, this could take _forever_.

"Tommy, he talks about you a lot - especially when you get like five drinks in him" Billy finally stops laughing and replies.

"Wow, that little shit - no wonder my reputation got murdered" Steve sighs, leaning back. 

"It's not like that, I think he actually _misses_ you or something" Billy says, avoiding looking at Steve and instead turning to check for Max himself.

"MOVE IT MAXINE" Billy suddenly shouted across the arcade, Steve jumped at the sudden out burst.

It wasn't lost on Steve that somehow he and Hargrove were actually having a somewhat civil conversation - and boy, did it feel _surreal_. Not for the first time he was struck with the realization that, if he and Billy had met before his transformation from King-Steve into Steve-who-got-dumped-by-Nancy-and-lost-all-his-friends, they probably would have been cool with each other. They would have become some kind of unstoppable, ultimate-douche-bag-basketball duo. And they probably would have terrorized people like who Steve was _now_ together.

"Okay jeeze, chill" Max had come up aside their table, looking annoyed at Billy.

"About time" Billy said as he stood, he turned back as he ushered Max out of the arcade and called out to Steve "See 'ya around Princess!"

Steve couldn't fight back the flush that hit his cheeks - why did he always have to ruin everything? 

"OOOOO - SEE YA AROUND PRINCESS" Three 9th grader voices screeched at Steve, making googly eyed faces.

"DON'T YOU GUYS START" Steve yelled back at them, and they started chanting _'Princess Steve'_

"I GAVE YOU SHIT HEADS MY QUARTERS!" He was never going to live this down.


	2. Burning Down the House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just gonna drop a warning here, for anyone who wants one - there's a homophobic slur used in this chapter, as well as descriptions of violence and blood.
> 
> I bring up a lot of music in this fic, because I just can't help myself. So I figured I might as well put together a little companion playlist if anyone is interested - Its full of early 80's music both mentioned in the fic and just some stuff I felt fit the vibe nicely, if you're into that kind of thing you might enjoy it. 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/07uNsQvvlGP8mcCxQcmFfS?si=bfSqc_b3RPGNrfBw1pZV4A

**October 14th, Sunday**

The weekend couldn't be over fast enough for Steve, he had spent the entire morning bored out of his mind. He even tried to read one of his mothers cheesy harlequin novels to pass the time, before groaning and giving up. He probably would have called Robin, but she was busy with some family thing - and they already spent so much time together at work... He loved her, but _damn_ did he need more friends.

He actually considered calling Nancy Wheeler instead, but the second that thought crossed his mind his stomach did a little somersault in protest. Sure, they _technically_ had made up... But the uncomfortable memory of her lashing out at him hadn't completely faded, and he still felt a little bitter about just how quickly she had gotten together with Jonathan. It was shocking to him that he could literally run through only two people in his head before running out of options... Then something Hargrove had said last night flashed through his mind again _"Tommy, he talks about you a lot - I think he actually misses you or something"_

_ __ _

It was hard to believe, because Tommy had shown Steve nothing but animosity since their falling out. Besides that, he had been feeling so _sure_ of himself - so secure in the mutual decision to break off their friendship... But now that the picture had been put in his head, if Tommy actually missed Steve... He suddenly found himself missing Tommy right back. He couldn't help it, he had been friends with Tommy since they were little kids - and bonds like that didn't just dissolve over night, even if Tommy _was_ a complete douche nozzle most of the time. 

_ __ _

But it wasn't like Steve could just call up Tommy like nothing ever happened, what would he even say? _"Hey man I know we like, hate each others guts and all now - but wanna hangout?"_ he felt kind of sick at the prospect... But that didn't mean he couldn't just run into Tommy by chance, right? He grabbed the phone from beside the couch he'd been lounging on all morning and began dialing, a tiny thrill ran through him as it rang.

_ __ _

"Hello?" A feminine voice answered.

_ __ _

"Hey, Vicki. It's Steve" He said quickly.

_ __ _

"Holy shit! I thought you were like completely _dead_" Vicki's voice sounded shocked over the phone.

_ __ _

"_What? _I'm fine" Steve said back, suddenly thinking about all the times he almost _did_ die in the last few years. But it's not like any of them knew anything about that. 

_ __ _

_ __ _

"I mean like, social death you know? Everyone's talking about how you'd rather hangout with middle schoolers now" She replied. 

_ _ __ _ _

"Seriously?" Steve asked defensively "I don't even hangout with them that much..." Besides, they were in high school now - he just, wasn't going to actually use that as a defense.

_ _ __ _ _

"Right... Well what can I do for you, not-dead Harrington?" Her voice had gone suggestive, okay so maybe Steve still had _some_ pull with the ladies - he grinned.

_ _ __ _ _

### 

_ _ __ _ _

Not much had changed since Steve stopped going to these things, everyone he knew had to be up Monday morning for work and they _still_ showed up for a party Sunday night. It was a continued tradition from when they were all in High School, and pretty much everyone he knew had experience with showing up to class the next day with a hangover in full swing - it wasn't all that different now that most of them had jobs.

_ _ __ _ _

A couple years ago a party like this would probably have been happening at Steve's place, but apparently with him out of the equation they had moved on to Markus Benchley's place. Steve always thought he was kind of up tight, but he had a nice house and he was on the Basketball team - so he made a pretty good Steve 2.0.

_ _ __ _ _

As he pulled up to the place he felt himself starting to get cold feet, he was basically showing up out of the blue after falling off the face of the social ladder for a few years - was he _really_ just going to waltz right in like nothing had changed? But he knew Tommy would be here, that kid never missed a chance to get wasted. He took a deep breath, steeling himself - he didn't call Vicki, fish for a invitation, and drive all the way here just to chicken out before he even went in. 

_ _ __ _ _

"Right, just like old times... Just walk in like you own the place" He muttered to himself before exiting the bimmer. He started the walk up to the house before he could psyche himself out, the closer he got the more his nerves began to fall away. It felt familiar, music was blaring from inside the house as he came up to the door, gripped the handle and pushed it open - stepping into the fray.

_ _ __ _ _

The pungent smell of weed and cigarette smoke hit him in the face as he stepped into the Benchley's living room. He squinted his eyes as they burned for a moment before adjusting, Loverboy's Working for the Weekend was blasting from somewhere in the room and there were people gathered around in a cluster - most of them were dancing, others just stood in conversation. The lights were dimmed low and someone had set up a strobe that was fading blue slowly in and out.

_ _ __ _ _

"Harrington!?" Steve heard someone call out, a look of shock on their face. He nodded at them - smiled like he was supposed to be here - and made his way towards what he _hoped_ was the kitchen, he was gonna need some liquid courage for this...

_ _ __ _ _

He made a lucky guess, the first door he tried lead right into the kitchen - the lighting here gave off less of a 'seedy night club' vibe, and Steve found himself relaxing even more the second he stepped into the room. There was one guy who was passed out on the floor, face mushed against the expensive stone tiles which just _had_ to be cold. Steve stepped over him gingerly, taking care not to knock into him and wake him - although to be fair the guy looked pretty dead to the world. 

_ _ __ _ _

There were _several_ bottles of liquor to choose from spread out on the center island, like an alcoholic buffet. But Steve found himself opening the fridge and fishing around for a beer, pulling out a can of Coors. He let the refrigerator door swing shut and he cracked the can open, letting the familiar hiss and crack of the pressure releasing soothe him. He threw his head back and took a swig, the crisp taste instantly refreshing - it helped trick him into thinking he was ready for this.

_ _ __ _ _

"What the _fuck_?" He hadn't heard anyone come in, but when he looked up from his drink Billy Hargrove was there - standing in the middle of the open door and looking at Steve like he just walked into an alternate dimension.

_ _ _ ** **** ** _ _ _

"Hey" Steve tried to act like it wasn't all that unusual for him to be here, nodded and lifted his beer at Billy in a silent cheers.

_ _ _ ** **** ** _ _ _

"What. The. Fuck - Harrington" Billy said again, punctuating each word. He bumped into the guy sleeping on the floor as he entered the kitchen, who didn't even budge.

_ _ _ ** **** ** _ _ _

"Thought I'd stop by, see how things have been since the fall of King-Steve" Steve said, immediately cringing at the fact that he just brought up his own former glory. _'Who the fuck says stuff like that?'_ he thought to himself.__

_ _ _ ** ** _ __ _ ** ** _ _ _

"Really..." Billy seemed like he still hadn't fully recovered from seeing Steve here. He moved forward to grab one of the bottles of whiskey that sat open on the kitchen counter and poured it into the empty crystal tumbler he had clasped in his hand. Apparently, Billy Hargrove didnt believe in mixers, because he slammed the whiskey back right after he finished pouring. 

_ _ _ ** ** _ __ _ ** ** _ _ _

"Ugh, I can't believe you just did that" Steve said. Billy turned to face him and eyed the beer can in Steve's hand while he drew nearer, leaning into Steves space - it was almost like he wanted to occupy as much enemy territory as he could.

_ _ _ ** ** _ __ _ ** ** _ _ _

"Yeah?" Billy asked, his breath puffed into Steve's face - warm and humid, it smelled like smoke and alcohol. "Well yours is practically water pretty boy. What are you, the designated driver?" Steve tried really hard not to focus on the fact that Billy had just called him _'pretty boy'_ again - tried even _harder_ not analyze why the feeling of Billy's breath on his face sent a tiny jolt of electricity surging through him.

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"I just... Don't really like the taste of that stuff" Steve answered, nerves back in full swing. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other and tried to look around Billy's shoulder - the kitchen door was shut tight and they were alone, besides the clearly out of commission guy sprawled out on the floor.

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"No one likes the taste Steve, that's not the point" Billy pulled back a bit, granting Steve just a tiny allowance of space. It was enough so that Billy's breath was no longer in Steve's face, and he felt relief wash over him as he managed to settle just a bit. A grin was plastered across Billy's face, but it didn't give off the same vibe as one of his usual smiles - the one that said he was going to enjoy taking you apart, piece by piece. This smile felt relaxed, like he was actually _pleased_ \- Steve really didn't know what to do with that. 

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"Alright, make me one then" Steve challenged. Billy's face lit up, he looked like a little kid on Christmas morning who just unwrapped the Atari he had been asking for all year.

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"Hell yeah, Harrington!" One of Billy's hands shot out and shoved at Steve's shoulder, who swayed back and silently considered how even Billy's affectionate gestures had a shade of violence to them. Billy turned away and began pouring more whiskey into the glass he was holding. Steve was actually surprised Billy hadn't told him to _'make his own fucking drink'_, he could even hear Billy's voice saying it in his head. Apparently the potential of seeing Steve get drunk out weighed Billy's inability to do anything nice for someone else.

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"Party hardy" Billy said, grin widening as he held out the glass for Steve to take. Several things ran through Steve's head in this moment as undeniably _wrong_. For one, Billy had literally just used the phrase _'Party hardy'_ and he probably should have pointed out how incredibly douchy that was. Instead he set aside his beer and reached up, taking the glass from Billy - their fingers brushing briefly as the exchange happened. 

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Secondly, this was the same glass Billy had probably been drinking from all night - and there should have been no way Steve was going to drink from it, he might as well have _kissed_ the guy. But then he was raising it tentatively to his lips, letting them edge against the clean cut rim of the crystal. The weight of the tumbler was solid in his hand and he tipped it back. Liquid hit the back of his throat and he swallowed, it burned the whole way down - settling in his stomach and sending a burst of warmth through his body.

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And third, Billy was staring at him like he was prey - like every thing he did in this moment was leading him further and further into the tigers den. And when Steve least expected it Billy was going to make his move and sink his teeth in, Billy's own words from a year ago were ringing in his ears _'no one tells me what to do'._

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"Baby's first big boy drink - yeah?" Billy commented, leaning back against the center island - his elbows resting on the edge. He looked pleased with himself, but he wasn't giving off his usual malicious vibe. Maybe if Steve had ever had a chance to actually get to know Billy he would have found that this was more like Billy's default, and not the rampaging - violent force of nature that Steve had only ever seen him as.

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"I think I might just stick with the beer" Steve said simply, handing the half full tumbler back to Billy. His hand hung in the air for a moment before Billy reached out and took the glass back. Billy rotated the cup in his hands, before bringing it to his own lips and shooting back the rest of Steve's drink. Steve tried really hard not to focus on the fact that Billy had made sure to drink from the same side of the glass where his own lips had been resting only a moment earlier.

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"So... Is Tommy here?" Steve asked hesitantly, looking away and picking his beer back up. He was trying to steer this whole interaction into something more comfortable. It was what he came here for in the first place anyway, and he didn't need to get distracted by whatever was going on between him and Billy right now.

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"No shit, it's not like him to miss a chance to get fucking wasted... Why?" Billy suddenly tacked on the question at the end, looking at Steve like he didn't want to hear the answer.

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"I came tonight to talk to him. It's the reason I'm here" Steve clarified, his voice got a little shaky at the end and he realized he was nervous again - nervous at the suggestion that he was actually going to approach Tommy at some point tonight.

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"Of course it fucking is" Billy said - almost to himself. He sounded pissed again, and just like that Steve had managed to knock over all the fragile blocks he didn't even know they had been building together. 

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An awkward silence began to fill the space between them, Steve tried hard to focus on the music still blaring from the other room rather than try to break the tension forming between them - _'Here we stand, worlds apart hearts broken in two - two -two'_ The record had been swapped, and the beginning notes of Separate Ways were filtering in through the closed door. Steve probably would have recognized it as some kind of ill omen if he had any sense.

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"Yeah well - Have a great fucking time Harrington" Billy finally said, pushing away from the center island with more force than necessary and shoving his way out of the kitchen. He seemed to have forgotten about the guy passed out on the floor and stumbled over him. Billy swore and kicked at the guy - before grabbing and swinging open the kitchen door, letting it slam behind him as he left.

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_"Great job Steve, that went really well"_ He said to himself under his breath, taking a shaky sip from his beer. He hung around the kitchen for a while longer and tried to recapture some of his earlier confidence. A group of drunk girls burst in through the door and tripped over floor-guy, they just laughed as they all tumbled onto the floor on top of him. Steve excused himself before any of them could try to talk to him, making his way back out into the living room. 

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It actually looked like the party was starting to wind down, most of the people who were here when Steve first arrived seemed to have left. His eyes were immediately drawn to find Tommy and Carol, standing together in the corner of the room and passing a joint between each other. Neither of them had noticed Steve yet, which was really perfect because the second he saw them he completely lost his nerve. What the _hell_ was he actually doing here? His heart dropped into the pit of his stomach and he turned to try and leave before they realized he was here. Except he wasn't actually paying attention to where he was going and ran straight into Vicki.

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"Oh - Steve you made it!" She said his name painfully loud, he paled. 

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"Steve?" Tommy's voice echoed his name from behind. It was a lot quieter than Vicki had been, but Steve still heard it loud and clear - it cut through the surrounding noise like a knife. Steve turned slowly to look back at Tommy, who kind of looked like he'd just been sucker punched.

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"Tommy... Hey" Steve said back lamely.

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"What the fuck are you doing here?" Tommy asked loudly, quickly recovering from the shock of seeing Steve and switching straight to spiteful. He pushed away from the wall he was leaning against and stalked over to Steve. Steve looked around nervously, absently noting that Billy was standing off to the side - he must have over heard them and showed up to witness the impending train wreck.

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"Nothing man" Steve put his hands up in an attempt to placate Tommy, who looked like he was about to lose his shit. "Actually I was just going-"

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"Yeah? You fucking _going_ Steve?" Tommy cut him off, reaching out and shoving him. Steve stumbled back into Vicki who was still standing behind him.

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"Hey! Watch it!" She called out, quickly clearing out of the line of fire and joining the other party-goers who had stopped to watch.

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"Look man, I don't want to fight" Steve said, still trying to stop this before it happened - how had he actually been naive enough to think that he could just show up in the vicinity of Tommy and expect him to react like a reasonable person.

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"That's right, run back to Nancy like the fucking _pussy_ you are" He paused for a moment before continuing with feigned sympathy. "Oh, wait a second - that's _right_ Nancy fucking ditched you.

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And you're so pathetic, I bet you just sit around wishing she'd take you back - except she's fucking that creep Jonathan like I _told_ you she was" 

_ _ _ ** ** _ __ _ ** ** _ _ _

But hey, you're probably into that aren't you? Huh Steve? Down for a three way with psycho kid and his prissy girlfriend like the faggot you are?" Steve just couldn't listen to this, and before he could stop himself he the words tumbled out of him.

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"Yeah, you jealous Tommy? You seem a little _too_ interested in my sex life" Steve shot back.

"What are you trying to say Harrington?" Tommy said, fury consuming his face.

"Just, like - sounds like you're over compensating, you wanna tell us something?" Steve said back, shrugging his shoulders - acting like he wasn't bothered by this fight at all. A few people watching snickered, one guy yelled out _"Tommy's got a thing for Steve!"_

Fuck. Steve had come here to try and make _amends_ with Tommy... And all he'd managed to do was feed into a fight that made both of them look like total assholes. Which was a pretty shit way to make amends, as it turns out... Tommy's face was actually red, his fists clenched at his side, it looked like he was about to explode.

"What are you even saying, Steve?" Carols voice broke in, she laughed uncomfortably.

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"**FUCK YOU HARRINGTON**" Tommy's fist pulled back and then he let it fly, it collided into Steve's face with so much force he actually felt his head snap back - his hands flew up to his face as blood gushed out of his nose. Okay, turns out Tommy could throw one hell of a punch when he wanted to. Steve had never actually been on the receiving end of one of those, but he suddenly felt really bad for all the kids he had witnessed Tommy beat the shit out of.

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For a second Tommy looked like he actually regretted what he had just done, but then someone was shoving Steve aside and pummeling into Tommy - knocking him off balance and taking him down. Steve could hear the people around them yelling and cheering, when he managed to focus on what was happening in front of him he saw Billy was holding Tommy down and slamming his fist into Tommy's face over and over.

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"Fuck- Stop" Steve said, his voice was wobbly and absolutely _no one_ was listening to him. Carol dashed in and grabbed Billy, hauling him up and away from Tommy. 

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"**GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM**" Carol screamed, pushing Billy away. Steve couldn't help but think how Carol must have been a lot stronger than she looked.

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Steve kept one hand pressed tight against his nose - which was still bleeding profusely - and grabbed at Billy's shoulder trying to help Carol get him back. Billy shrugged him off, and moved as if he was going to go back in on Tommy - who was currently laid flat out on his ass. Steve redoubled his efforts, grabbing with both hands this time and actually digging his fingers into Billy's arm - he pulled hard enough to redirect Billy's blood lust onto himself. Billy rounded up and shoved Steve back, who stumbled and knocked into a side table - Okay, so maybe he was a little light headed, he felt his head swim and wondered if he was actually going to pass out in front of everyone.

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"_Let go of me Harrington_" Billy spat out at him, Steve swore he could actually _feel_ it hit his cheek. There was a smear of blood slashed across Billy's bicep from where Steve had grabbed him.

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"Just **STOP**" Steve managed to yell at him through the fuzz that was building around his head. Right as darkness began to edge into his vision he heard Billy's voice cutting through the fog.

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_"-Fuck's wrong with you?"_

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It actually sounded kind of concerned, which was pretty funny and Steve would have laughed if he wasn't busy falling face first onto the absolutely _revolting_ pea soup colored wall to wall carpeting that Mark's parents apparently thought was still in style.

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### 

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"Ugh..." Steve groaned, his head was actually throbbing... It felt like his heart had vacated his chest and decided to take up residence in his skull - it was like a Van Halen drum solo up there.

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"Morning Princess" Billy's voice was _actually_ the physical embodiment of pain, Steve groaned even louder. "How you feel?" Billy continued, Steve could hear the smugness lacing his voice.

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"Like shit, actually" Steve replied, finally opening his eyes, and looking over to find Billy sitting on the floor across from him. Billy must have at some point taken the entire bottle of whiskey from the kitchen, because it was resting against his thigh, nearly empty.

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The sounds of the party had died out and it looked like someone had moved him into a side room, Steve chose to ignore the fact that it was probably Billy who did it. There was a pillow under his head, propping him up _just_ enough so he wouldn't drown in his own blood. One of his hands flew to his nose and felt around the tender skin there gingerly, there was dried blood stuck to his face. "How do I look?" He asked.

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"Like shit" Billy parroted, a huge smile spreading across his face. It kind of looked genuine, which Steve thought was pretty fucked up considering the circumstances. "Hold on-" Billy got up a little unsteadily and left the room. Steve sat up and wondered if maybe he should just try to leave now and pretend none of this had ever happened, but before he could decide Billy returned - walking back in and throwing a something warm and wet into Steve's lap.

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Steve startled, reaching down to pick up what was apparently a damp towel. Billy had just gone and got him something to clean his face, and if that wasn't just the strangest thing... Steve raised the towel slowly and began dabbing at the dried blood under his nose.

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"So much for _"he misses you"_" Steve said, quoting Billy. It came out kind of nasally since he had a towel pressed into his nose at that moment.

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"Yeah well, I didn't tell you to ambush him in the middle of a party when hes fucking blitzed!" Billy said a bit louder than necessary, he sounded exasperated - Like Steve was being such a obvious idiot, Steve didn't think it was that obvious.

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"_Fuck_ -" Steve pulled the towel away, checking how much blood had come off on it before returning it to his face. "Well when else was I supposed to approach him?" he asked, flinching as he pressed too hard on a tender spot.

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"Jesus, give me that" Billy reached out and swiped the towel from him, sliding forward to kneel in front of Steve "You're fucking useless at this" Billy concluded.

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Steve held his breath as Billy began wiping away the dried blood carefully - _'Why was he being so nice?'_ Steve thought, completely overlooking the fact that Billy had just called him useless. Steve's eyes cast down to look at Billy's hand as it rubbed small soft circles against his face with the damp towel, clearing away the evidence of how horribly things went tonight. Billy's knuckles were raw, and the skin was broken from where they had made repeated contact with Tommy's face.

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"Thank you" Steve said, refusing to look back up and meet Billy's eyes as he spoke. He wasn't sure whether he was thanking Billy for now, or earlier tonight. Billy's hand stilled, he inhaled softly like he was about to say something when - 

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"Can you two fucking leave already?" Mark's head had popped around a corner and interrupted them, he was looking at them like they were the biggest inconvenience he had experienced all night - which was seriously unlikely seeing as how Steve was pretty sure he heard _several_ people puking into Mark's pool, when he was still brooding in the kitchen.

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"Fuck off Mark! No one even likes you!" Steve yelled bitterly, which wasn't exactly fair - but Steve was still harboring some irrational resentment for Mark's house being the new party destination. 

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"Seriously Harrington - I will call the cops" Mark warned.

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"Yeah, yeah. We're going, don't have a bitch fit" Billy said, hoisting Steve up and helping him steady himself. They began stumbling their way out of Mark's house, Steve still recovering from the blood loss and Billy apparently still somewhat drunk from the amount of liquor he'd managed to swill that night.

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"You know you're not actually helping me if you're as unsteady as I am" Steve said as they both managed to run into a wall on the way out.

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"Aww Harrington, we're helping _each other_" Billy cooed at him, one of his hands going up to rustle Steve's hair. Steve made a sound of protest and shoved Billy away, who relented and stepped back. Steve felt some conflicting emotions at the loss of contact - He felt a lot less nervous when Billy wasn't so close to him - but he also kind of _liked_ it when Billy made him nervous... But he wasn't about to try and unpack _that_ box of what-the-fuck right now.

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"I'll take you home" Billy was saying, they had come up to Billy's Camaro without Steve even having noticed. 

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"Uhh, should you really be driving? You had like, an entire bottle of whiskey" Steve commented as Billy started to walk around to the drivers side.

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"Seriously? I'm _fuckin'-fhine_" It probably would have been more convincing if Billy hadn't slurred the words _'fucking'_ and _'fine'_ together, Steve figured tonight had already gone badly enough without them driving off the road into a ditch. He grabbed at Billy's hand and wrestled the keys out of his grip, Billy spluttered and cursed at him but didn't actually stop Steve from taking them - so he considered it a win. 

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"Just get in shot gun" Steve said as he pushed past Billy and walked around to the drivers side, sliding in to the leather seat. Billy actually did as he was told, despite having an expression on his face like a little kid who just got told he couldn't have the candy he wanted. 

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Steve knew he was leaving his precious bimmer parked somewhere on the street, but there was no way he was gonna have the argument with Billy on which car they should take - and he was afraid that Billy would actually grab the keys back from him and try to drive home the way he was. So Steve figured he could get a ride from Robin tomorrow and pick the bimmer up then, they usually carpooled anyway and it _was_ her turn Monday.

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Steve turned the key in the ignition and felt Billy's Camaro _purr_ into life beneath him - Okay... Maybe he could get used to that. The speakers flooded the interior with the sound of piercing electric guitar's as the Scorpion's 'No One Like You' resumed play, Steve reached out to lower the volume - Billy must have been blasting it on the way to the party.

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"You get blood in my car and I'll fucking kill you" Billy said from the passengers side, he had leaned his head against the window. He seemed focused on looking outside, and decidedly not at Steve. Steve's gaze dropped momentarily to the blood all over his shirt, figuring it was too dry by now to get on anything anyway. He _definitely_ wasn't going to tell Billy that he probably got some blood somewhere in the backseat last year.

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_"Yeah, you're welcome for driving your drunk ass home"_ Steve muttered, shifting gears and pulling out into the street. Billy either hadn't heard him, or didn't have any fight left in him - because he didn't rise to the challenge. Instead he simply huffed and leaned deeper into the shoulder of the window. Steve's eyes kept flicking back and forth between the road and Billy curled up in the passenger seat, he looked so small for once - tucked in on himself, he almost looked _vulnerable_. Steve had never seen Billy that way, usually he was so full of piss and vinegar. 

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Steve turned his attention back to driving, resettling himself in the comfort of the Camaros worn leather. Billy slept on the drive back to his place, and Steve switched off the tape deck to listen to the soft rise and fall of Billy's breathing instead. By the time Steve pulled into his driveway he was exhausted, and he just wanted this night to be over. 

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"Hey, we're here" Steve called over to Billy, reaching out to shake him awake when he didn't respond. Billy startled at the touch, looking over at Steve with a bewildered expression - it seemed like for a moment he was trying to catch-up with what had happened tonight.

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"We're here" Steve repeated, not really sure what else to say.

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"Right..." Billy finally said, taking a deep breath and ducking his head to look out the window. "Jesus, of course you fuckin' live here"

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"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve asked, now he was getting a little annoyed. He opened his door and stepped out into the chill night air. Billy quickly followed suit, swearing as he stepped out into the cold after Steve.

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"Fuck - Don't get your panties in a twist, I just mean - it looks nice okay?" Billy got another good look at the place now that he was standing in front of it. "It's uhh... Big"

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"Its big" Steve echoes, giving Billy a look that said '_really?_'.

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"Whatever - It's fucking cold out here, lets go" Billy said, slinging an arm around Steve's shoulder for the second time that night.

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"What are you doing?" Steve asked, too tired to push him off.

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"I'm too drunk to drive, remember Pretty Boy?" Billy whispered in his ear, Steve swallowed thickly and tried not to think about how close Billy's face was to his own right now.

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Okay, Steve could handle this. It was just Billy - the guy who nearly killed him a year ago, the guy who nearly killed _all_ of them - sleeping off a night of partying and casual violence in Steve's living room, _no problem_.

Billy's loose curls were brushing up against the side of his face as they both stumbled toward Steve's front door, and he made a mental note of how Billy smelled like cinnamon and oranges - and whiskey, _a lot_ of whiskey actually.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so Steve _probably_ should have gone to the doctor, but boy doesn't that just sound boring to write. So we're gonna be like yeah he's totally fine, it's fine IT'S NOT BROKEN IT'S FINE. I just love bloody noses, can we talk about that? Is that like a kink?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry it took a while for me to get this chapter up, I’ve been super distracted by some other projects - and on top of that Halloween is a **crazy** busy time for me. Finally got some time to sit down and finish this chapter... I don't know why but with this particular fic I keep running into mental roadblocks - writing these takes so much longer than it should because of that qq. But I’m going to power through it, because I _hate_ when things are left unfinished.

Steve woke up feeling a bit disoriented - for one, he was in his bed. Which wouldn't seem all _that_ unusual, except for the fact that he was pretty sure his parents were still gone - and he mostly slept downstairs with the TV on when they weren't here, it helped him feel like he was less alone in such a big house.

And secondly... He was still wearing his shoes, and he was passed out on top of the comforter, _and_ his head was throbbing. When he sat up it felt like his head was lagging behind - he groaned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with the palm of his hands. When he brushed against his nose he jolted at the painful sensation, the horrible memory of last night came flooding back to him.

He couldn't _believe_ he had actually been so stupid as to show up at one of those parties, like he could actually have turned things around with Tommy - instead it had been a humiliating waste of time. 

He stood and shambled into the bathroom, checking his face in the mirror. It wasn't _that_ bad, a small red cut split across the bridge of his nose and a purple bruise had bloomed on either side, resting just below the corners of his eyes. His face had definitely looked worse over the last few years - he remembered how fucked up it had been after Hargrove had gotten his hands on him. 

Steve sighed, flinging his clothing off and scattering them across the bathroom floor. He stepped up to the shower turning on the water, waiting for a moment as it heat up. His mind drifted back over the events of last night, trying to remember the details of what had gone down. He knew it didn't go well, he could still see the look in Tommy's eyes as his fist made contact with Steve's face... 

And then Billy... Steve _really_ didn't want to think about Billy right now. He forced himself to stop empty his head and stepped under the now steaming spray and sighing as the hot water splashed against his skin, soothing his headache and washing away as much of the shame of last night as it could.

When he was he stepped out of the shower, fluffing his hair with one of the plush towels his mother had ordered from one of her fancy catalogues. He tied it around his waist when he was finished - checking his reflection again and feeling slightly better, he actually looked a little less like he had been run over by a truck now. 

Then he heard a clatter from down stairs, and his entire body tensed up - _froze_. His mind rushed over the various possibilities, had his parents come home early? Or was it an intruder... or something _worse_. His blood ran cold, and he left the bathroom - slowly stalking down the hall and straining to listen closer...

He heard the sound again - louder this time - as he neared the steps, and then began his descent down the soft carpet covered flight. He grabbed the solid wooden baseball bat from its resting place at the foot of the stairs, he kept it there whenever he was home alone - ever since that night when he had turned up at the Byers house uninvited, and got wrapped up in the Lovecraftian nightmare that was his life now.

He gripped the sturdy weapon tightly in his hands as he rounded the corner, only to come face to face with none other than Billy Hargrove - who was _apparently_ making breakfast in his mother's kitchen. His brain short circuited for about 10 seconds before he remembered that yes indeed, Billy _had_ spent the night in Steve's living room.

Billy was looking at him like he wasn't sure if he should be focused on the fact that Steve was shirtless, clad in just a fluffy towel, his hair dripping on the expensive tile floor - or if he should be concerned about the bat that was clutched in Steve's hands, ready to swing at a moments notice. As a result, his face twisted between a leer and wide eyed shock - to Steve it kind of looked like he had broken Billy.

"I don't know what kind of party this is..." Billy said finally, rebooting back into his usual smug self "...But I think we better establish a safe word first"

Steve flushed, struck with the realization that he probably looked like a complete psycho right now. He stuttered out an apology and set the bat down against the door frame - backing out of the kitchen and trying to ignore the fact that Billy was wearing his mother's apron, the pink one... with little hearts and frills all over it.

"I...um... uh... just gonna..." Steve motioned that he was leaving, and Billy actually threw his head back and belted out this genuine laughter, the sound of it had Steve's legs threatening to turn into jelly - he dashed out of there before he managed to do anything even _more_ mortifying than he already had. He ran back up the stairs taking them two, three, at a time and burst back into his bedroom.

How did he actually manage to forget that Billy had stayed the night? It had been a _complete_ hassle... The guy wouldn't stop bitching about having to sleep on Steve's couch, the _entire_ time that Steve had been graciously setting him up with pillows and blankets... he had considered just shoving Billy through the sliding glass doors and locking him out back with the pool - would have served the ungrateful asshole right...

Instead he had tolerated Billy's complaints, and drunken suggestions that they should '_just share a bed_'. And when he had finally gotten him to settle down reluctantly on the couch, Steve had dragged himself to his own bedroom and fallen asleep the second his head hit the pillow - utterly exhausted.__

_ __ _

He opened his closet and wrestled out a suitable pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt, sniffing briefly before deciding that yes - they were actually clean and hadn’t just been tossed back in there dirty. He threw them on, hopping around the room on one leg as he pulled them up. He grabbed the towel he had dropped upon entering his bedroom and fluffed through his hair one last time, drying it as best he could - normally he would have done the full routine - blow dry, styling - the finishing puff of Farah Fawcett spray... But really he was more concerned with the fact that Billy Hargrove was left alone in the kitchen right now, cooking something that smelled honestly, _delicious_.

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He padded back down the stairs, still cautious - peering around into the kitchen and still feeling like he was in some alternate universe. Like he had stumbled into some weird world where people who just didn't _do_ these sort of things were suddenly... _doing them_. Like Billy Hargrove, humming and swaying his hips in Steve's kitchen. Flipping over what looked to be french toast, in one of his mothers cast iron pans. Steve's mouth watered, which was completely and absolutely only because of the french toast - and not for some other impossible reason.__

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"Hey" Steve called out, stepping into the room feeling awkward. Billy looked over his shoulder and smiled, it was almost pleasant...

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"I think I liked the other outfit better" Billy said, turning back around to watch over breakfast. "You sleep well princess?"

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

Steve grunted and flopped into one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen table, rolling his eyes at the back of Billy's head.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"I didn't know you could cook" Steve said stupidly, like there weren't a _million_ things he apparently didn't know about Billy Hargrove.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"_Mmm_, I love breakfast" Billy commented, scooping out the french toast he had been grilling and adding it to a stack beside the stove top. "The amount of cereal in this house is seriously sad" He continued, grabbing the plate and setting it in front of Steve.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"Hey! I usually don't have a lot of time before work..." Steve defends, neglecting to mention that he was an actual horror in the kitchen - he burnt water. He eyed the stack of french toast up and down, suddenly starving - and they smelled _amazing_... He grabbed a fork, a fork that Billy had apparently _set out_ for him - which was jarring enough in and of itself - and dug in. 

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

He ate like he imagined Elle probably would have, after being lost in the woods for like - a month. Billy watched him with a raised brow for a moment, before grabbing his own plate and joining Steve at the table. 

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"Have you _ever_ eaten food?" Billy asked as he took the seat across from Steve.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"Yeb - obcorbse I hab" Steve said around a mouthful of soft, puffy french toast bliss.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"Sorry, what?" Billy's face pinched with disgust as he spoke, cutting a piece from his own stack of toast and biting into it. Steve tried really hard not to watch, but his eyes kept being drawn to Billy's lips where a tiny drop of syrup clung. He swallowed thickly before continuing -

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"Yes, I eat food Billy" Steve said annoyed, glancing over at the kitchen clock to check the time - it was 10:45, Robin would be here any minute.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"Cereal and pizza don't count" Billy said, eyeing the stack of boxes shoved half way into the garbage in the corner of the kitchen.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"Fuck... I need to-" He was cut off by the sound of a horn blaring from outside. "**Fuck**, I gotta go" Steve stood from his chair, getting caught up in the legs for a moment before freeing himself and grabbing up one last slice of french toast with his bare hands, shoving it into his mouth.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"What? Seriously?" Billy asked, he looked put out.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"Yes seriously, I'm gonna be late" Steve said back, making his way to the living room and scooping up his jacket from last night from where he had discarded it across a side table. He checked the pocket, making sure his keys were still there, they jingled reassuringly. Billy had stood and followed Steve out into his living room, for the first time since getting here he actually looked like he felt out of place here - he looked unsure, it made Steve uncomfortable.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"Just - feel free to like... Do whatever, here - while I'm gone" Steve said, trying not to feel nervous about the fact that he had just invited Billy to stay in his home unattended... really though, how much trouble could he get into? "Just lock up when you leave" Steve called out as he opened the front door, dashing out as Robin hit her horn again, the sound even more piercing as he came out into the front yard. 

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"**FUCK, ROBIN CHILL OUT**" Steve called over the horn, giving her the finger as he ran up to her car and pulled open the passenger side door - he threw himself in and slammed the door shut behind him.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"We're gonna be late- what happened your face" Robin suddenly asked, looking at him with more annoyance than worry.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"It's a long story" Steve said, looking back nervously at his house as Robin pulled out of the driveway.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"Does it have anything to do with how Billy's Camaro is sitting in your driveway right now?" She asked, and Steve was pretty sure he could hear some sort of conspiratorial tone in her voice... he didn't like it

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"I'll tell you later" He said, annoyed. right now he just wanted to get to work and forget everything that had happened in the last 24 hours.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

"Well if we aren't gonna talk..." She said before reaching over and turning up the volume on the console - blasting the fuzzed out reverb of The Smiths into the space between them.

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Steve groaned and dropped his face into his hands, as his headache returned with a vengeance._ _ _ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

By the time they had gotten to Family Video and finished opening up, Steve actually found himself _wanting_ to tell Robin about the previous night - even though he knew she was probably going to rip into him for going to the party in the first place. __

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

_'They're just full of people who can’t move on from high school'_ She had said about the parties before, which bothered Steve a little - considering he wasn't exactly sure how to move on himself. But still, he filled her in - leaving out some of the more humiliating details because... well she wasn't there so it's not like she was gonna _know_ he'd left anything out.

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"I think he _likes_ you" Robin said after Steve had finally finished recounting the events of last night, which was just the most ludicrous thing to ever come out of her mouth.

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"He punched me in the face, Robin" Steve said back, gingerly feeling at the side of his nose where the skin was still flush with a dark purple bruise.

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"Not Tommy, man you're _thick_" She said, then when Steve gave her a blank look she continued "**Billy! Billy likes you!**" She shouted.__

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Not so loud" Steve hissed looking around the store, an old lady was looking over at them with a raised eyebrow, but she went back to leafing through the new releases. "What are you talking about?! Billy _hates_ me" 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Yeah sure, that's why he like - tried to talk to you all night, then beat up Tommy for you like some 'roided up knight in shining armor, let you _actually_ drive his Camaro and then slept on your couch... he made you _breakfast_, Steve"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"He was _drunk_, Robin - and Billy's literally willing to fight anyone... He's constantly looking for an excuse to throw a punch"__

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Whatever you wanna tell yourself, Steve Harrington" Robin scoffed, leaning back and shaking her head "He still made your ass breakfast..."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The rest of the work day went by pretty uneventfully, Steve wasn't sure when his life had turned so monotonous but now that he noticed it he couldn't _stop_ noticing. They closed up Family Video at 7, and Robin gave Steve a ride back to Markus Benchley's street to pick up his bimmer.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He got out of Robins car and made his way over to his own - stopping dead in his tracks as he looked up see the the words "Faggot" slashed across his passengers side window in bright pink lipstick. Robin flushed a deep red when she saw it, and went off on how Hawkins was full of small town, small minded _hicks_. Which sounded a lot like the way he had heard Billy describe the people here, but he wasn't about to bring him up now.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Steve himself couldn't really be bothered to care about the defacing, he was too damn tired... and he was just grateful that there was enough of a respect left that they had used something temporary like one of Carol's lipsticks and didn't scratch it into the side of his paint. He slid into the drivers side and drove off with the words still emblazoned across the window.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Billy's Camaro was gone from his driveway when he arrived home, he felt a weird pang at that - which he decidedly ignored, there was no way he was gonna get into figuring out what _that_ was about right now.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

When he got inside he stumbled straight into the couch without even bothering to eat anything, flipped on the TV and closed his eyes - somewhere in the back of his mind he quietly recognized how the couch still smelled like Billy, he wrapped his arms around one of the pillows and inhaled a deep breath, falling asleep.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ________

###  _ _ _ _

______  
  
  


Billy's voice was nice - Steve filed away a mental note of how much he liked it, it was talking to him softly but he couldn't make out what it was actually saying - just that he liked it, and wanted him to _keep talking_.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

They were close, he could smell him - the now familiar scent of Billy - Steve wondered what kind of shampoo he used, his hair looked _so_ damn soft. He got the sudden urge to reach out and touch the curls, run his fingers through them.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Billy seemed to be saying something, but Steve still couldn't make it out - he was smiling though, and it was the kind of smile that made Steve light up inside. He took it for permission, threading his fingers through the dirty-blonde locks. They were as soft as Steve had imagined, and Billy careened forward with the touch. He pressed his lips against Steve's, and honestly - this wasn't how Steve had expected things to go... But now that it was happening, he figured he might as well just roll with it. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He laid back - dragging Billy along with him, and the kiss deepened. Steve felt himself getting hard, and Billy must have felt it too because he pulled away from the kiss all of a sudden. Steve felt disappointment flood him as their lips parted, wondering if he had done something wrong. But Billy was still looking down at him with that soft smile, and his hand pressed into the front of Steve's pants. He opened his mouth and said -

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"_We're going to be a few days later than expected_"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"_What?_" Steve asked incredulously, but the Billy didn't seem to hear him.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_"The emergency card is in the hall drawer if you need more money"_ Steve's mother's voice flowed out from Billy's mouth and he was suddenly pulled out of moment -

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Steve startled awake, brain trying desperately to catch up with what was happening. The answering machine in the living room was playing his mother's voice, explaining how they were sorry for getting waylaid _again_ with work. He sat there for a moment, listening as the message played out. Finally it clicked off, and all that was left was the sound of his heart pounding in his chest.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He was pretty sure he had just been having a wet dream about Billy... and he had woken up painfully hard - the jeans he had fallen asleep in last night were tight, pressing uncomfortably against his erection. He adjusted on the couch, propping himself up and fumbling a hand down to unzip his pants and shove them down. He let out a thankful sigh as the pressure was relieved, and he palmed against the front of his briefs in a slow, steady motion - a small wet patch had soaked through where the head of his cock rested.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He tried not to think - as his hand slipped under the elastic and wrapped firmly around his thickening erection, eyes fluttering shut at the surge of pleasure that ran through him at the touch. Tried not to think - as he turned his head into the pillow resting behind his head, finding that it _still_ smelled like Billy... Tried not to think - about the images from his dream, but they still came flooding back into his head. Billy's smile, his voice, his soft hair slipping through Steve's fingers... And his lips, pressed firmly against Steve's own.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Steve's breath hitched as he pumped his hand, precum slicking his movements and filling the room with the wet, sloppy sounds of his fervor. He quickened the pace, and _tried_ not to think about the fact that he was actually wanking off to Billy Hargrove right now. And it felt good, it felt better than it had in a long time… 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Steve drew the knuckles of his free hand up to his mouth and bit down into them an attempt to smother the soft, lilting moans that he was projecting out into the empty quiet of his living room. He felt his release building in his abdomen - coiling tight inside him, threatening to unfurl in an overwhelming wave of pleasure. He screwed his eyes shut and imagined Billy’s hand in place of his own, imagined Billy’s voice, hot in his ear and whispering, _‘Go on, pretty boy - cum for me, don’t hold back’_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

And Steve was _gone_, spurting thick ropes of cum across his hand, the front of his jeans, the lower half of his shirt. He probably would have been grossed out by the sheer amount, if there weren't still tiny shock-waves of pleasure rolling through him. When they ceased, he lay there for a moment - catching his breath. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

How the fuck was he supposed to face Billy now? Things had already seemed weird between them, and Billy was so hard to read - he went between hot and cold on the flip of a coin - and now… Steve had finally pinned down that weird fluttery feeling he felt when Billy was around, the conflicting desire to push Billy away - and then the feeling of regret when Billy actually went. He had a _crush_… On a _man_… On _Billy_.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Which was ridiculous, because Steve wasn’t even _gay_… At least, he didn't think he was - he had always been into girls, hell he was completely head over heels in love with Nancy Wheeler for like two years. Even now he wasn’t completely over her, but this feeling that was beginning to grow for Billy was different - it was confusing, frantic, and it _scared_ him.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Maybe he was just overreacting, after all - he was nineteen... His hormones were probably just going _crazy_. It wasn't like this was the first time he experienced a totally weird wet dream, wasn't the first time he had wanked off to something unusual. It didn't have to mean anything if he didn't want it to… He just needed to see Hargrove again, be reminded of what a complete asshole the guy was - and then this whole stupid thing would just blow over.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He forced himself up off the couch, wiping his hand on a clean portion of his shirt and zipping back up. Went to the bathroom to change out of his cum stained clothes and get ready for work. There was still a stack of leftover french toast in his fridge, covered in plastic wrap - Billy must have put it there for Steve, which was so unexpectedly thoughtful that Steve actually felt a little light headed.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As he left to pick up Robin for work his eye caught the bright pink word glaring out accusatory at him from the passenger side window - like it was saying _‘I know what you did, you can’t hide from me’_. Steve didn't even bother to clean it off, like it would somehow make him even _more_ guilty if he tried to wipe it away now. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He pulled up to Robin’s house and laid on the horn, she came bursting out of the front door in a flurry of chaotic energy - shutting her bag in the door accidentally before finally freeing it and coming to an abrupt stop in front of Steve’s bimmer. She gave him a piercing look, the one that made it painfully obvious she was pissed off - and even worse _disappointed_.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

She fisted the sleeve of her shirt into her palm and rubbed furiously at the words scrawled across his window, managing to smear the entire thing into a completely illegible pink mess. He figured it was probably better than pulling into his work’s parking lot with a homophobic slur written on his car. When she had finished, she grabbed the handle and yanked the door open - throwing herself into the seat and slamming the it behind her. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"What the _fuck_ Steve, why didn't you clean that shit?" She said angrily, looking over at him like he was a huge asshole. Most of the time he felt like _was_ a huge asshole so she probably had a point.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I don't know, maybe I wanted everyone to see" He said petulantly, turning to pull out of her driveway.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Why...?" Robin said, her face morphing from furious and confused to just plain confused.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I don't know!" Steve threw his head back and shouted up at the roof of the bimmer "I think I'm having a mid life crisis" He finished sadly.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"You're nineteen - you can't be having a midlife crisis you dramatic bitch" Robin said, looking down at her sleeve with regret. Steve figured he probably owed her a new jacket. It was silent for a while before Robin looked up from her sleeve and peered over at Steve, a weird look on her face - he suddenly felt nervous.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“What do you mean you’re having a _‘mid-life crisis’_” She asked, making air quotes with her fingers as she said the last bit.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Never mind” Steve said quickly, turning the bimmer onto the street where the rental place was located. She let it slide, but she was still looking over at him like he was a particularly difficult puzzle and she had just been handed one of the pieces she was looking for. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

They pulled into the Family Video parking lot and opened the place up, Steve checked the overnight drop off box and his stomach did a tiny little flip when he noticed the two movies Billy had checked out mixed in with some other titles. He didn't want to consider how that probably meant Billy would rather drop off his rentals in the middle of the night than risk running into Steve at his job again.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He checked the movies back into the system, setting every one of them in the restock cart except for ‘The Awful Truth’ - which he slid onto a shelf behind the checkout desk. Robin had whirled off to the back, turning on all the lights in the store and flicking on the TV’s that hung over head - playing whatever movies the higher ups had asked for them to push for the week. Currently it was ‘Risky Business’, ‘Yentl’ and ‘Strange Brew’, which Steve had been enjoying at first - but after a few days of the same movies playing over and over again you started to feel like your brain was melting out of your skull.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Robin thankfully set the volume as low as they could get away with. Most of the time they just ended up watching whatever movie they wanted behind the desk anyway, once the busy hours had died down. The day went by slowly, but Steve didn't really want it to end either - he didn't want to go home and be stuck with his thoughts all night, _needed_ something to distract him from the way they kept trying to stray onto Billy.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Keith came into work a few hours later and took over check out while Steve and Robin took their lunch breaks together. She always packed a lunch for Steve, complaining that if she left it to him he would just bring a cold slice of pizza every day. Which was exactly what he had been planning to do, so he didn't bother to complain.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“So… I kind of have a date” Robin said quietly, unwrapping her own sandwich and taking a bite.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“What?” Steve asked, looking up at her in mild shock.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I asked Ash out - we’re going out tonight” Robin continued, Ashley had been this cute chick that kept coming into the store to rent some stupid artsy movies that Steve couldn’t understand in the slightest. But whenever she came in Robin would dash over to talk to her, they had spent an entire _thirty_ minutes talking about Fitzcarraldo - which probably would have driven Steve to try and claw his own face off if she had done something like that with him. Ashley just seemed to enjoy it, though. And he was pretty sure he had seen her blushing the entire time - so he wasn't _that_ surprised to hear about the date.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“And I kind of need you to cover for me, we’re gonna go see Amadeus at the drive in - and I need to leave the store early” She smiled apologetically at him before continuing “She's picking me up at six” The drive-in was just outside of Hawkins, and it always showed movies that were just a little too weird for the theater in town.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Oh fine sure, just fuck off and leave me to deal with Keith alone then” Steve said grumpily, shoving the rest of his sandwich into his mouth. Except that Keith was apparently only working a half day today, he was saying something about how his grandma was in the hospital while Steve tried to pretend he was too busy to listen. So Steve was going to have to close the entire store alone, which was just _great_.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Keith left at five, and a hour later Ashley came into the store to pick up Robin - and honestly Steve couldn’t even be mad, because they looked fucking adorable together. And Robin slid her fingers in between Ashley’s as they walked out of Family Video together, hand in hand. And Steve suddenly felt a little sick because he wasn't sure he was brave enough to do something like that.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A few more people came in to return movies, and finally it was closing time - Steve started cleaning the store and prepping for open in the morning. Powered down all the screens, restocked the last few titles sitting in the return bin, shut the over head lights off - and finally checked ‘The Awful Truth’ out under his own account, before shutting down the register. Because he was _curious_, now that he knew Billy was the one watching it - not Max.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He locked up the store, and when he turned towards his bimmer he stopped in his tracks. Someone was leaning up against the side, and even with it being pretty dark out here he could make out that it was Tommy. He wondered idly if he was about to get the shit beat out of him, left for dead in the middle of an abandoned Family Video parking lot - and how _pathetic_ an end would that be. Steve Harrington, survived monsters from an alternate dimension and the Russian government - only to be killed by his ex-best friend.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Hey” Tommy's voice called out, it didn't really sound like he was itching for a fight. Steve came close enough to see how Tommy’s face was still fucked up from the fight with Billy, it was _way_ worse off than Steve’s was.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“What do you want?” Steve asked, feeling a little annoyed - he supposed this must have been how Tommy felt when Steve ambushed him at the party.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Sorry” Tommy nodded at the window, still smeared with pink lipstick “For that... and your face”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Yeah well, yours looks way worse” Steve said, huffing out a sardonic laugh.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I deserved it” Tommy said, taking out a packet of cigarettes and holding one out in a blatant peace offering. And Steve figured he might as well take it, it was better than another fight. He came up beside Tommy and leaned against the bimmer next to him, taking the cigarette and putting it to his lips. Tommy flicked open a lighter and Steve leaned in, sucking in softly until the end lit.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I think you were right, anyway” Steve said suddenly, staring into the dark windows of Family Video - not wanting to see Tommy’s reaction.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Right about what?” Tommy asked, flicking some ash from his own cig.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“About me - that I’m - I think I might be _gay_” He confessed, flushing as he said it out loud for the first time. And to _Tommy_ of all people, what was he thinking? Tommy looked over at him like he was the dumbest person on the face of the planet, which he kind of felt like he _was_.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Steve… You literally chase skirts like a fucking _dog_” Tommy said slowly, like Steve might have been a little slow “You the spent the entirety of high school hooking up with girl after girl - fuck you were like, in _love_ with Nancy or some shit… Which actually, might be enough to make anyone wanna be gay, but seriously Steve... are you fucking _crazy_?”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I know okay!” Steve said in frustration “But like, you don't understand… For fucks sake I had a wet dream about _Billy_”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Holy shit, you are such a cliche” Tommy spit out his cig, suddenly bursting into laughter “Fuckin’ _Billy!_” he started wheezing.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Shut up” Steve said, flush deepening “You followed him around like a fucking puppy when he first got here”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Yeah but I don't wanna suck his dick!” Tommy shouted into the night, one of his hands coming up to slap Steve roughly on the back.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“_Shhh, not so loud_” Steve hissed, not like anyone was actually out there listening - but still.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Anyway, you’re not gay” Tommy continued, bending over to reclaim his cigarette from the asphalt where it had fallen. “You’re bi” Steve considered for a moment how someone like Tommy would know the distinction between shit like that, but didn't really want to get into it.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“King Steve and Billy Hargrove, what a fucking trip” Tommy says, looking over with a smirk on his face “_Oh Billy, fuck me - fuck me with your massive cock_” he said in a whiny mockery of Steve's voice. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“What the fuck!” Steve punched Tommy in the arm, but couldn't hold back an embarrassed grin. “How would _you_ know he has a massive cock”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“What, you never looked down in the showers? Fuck man, your ass is going to get _destroyed_” Tommy said, an obviously disingenuous look of concern plastered over his face.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Who says I’m gonna be the bottom!” Steve shot back. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Oh - Steve… _Come_ on…” Tommy looked at him like he _actually_ felt bad for him now. “You are _such_ a bottom bitch”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Tommy pushed away from the bimmer, cackling as he walked away - Steve shouting his protest pointlessly after him. Okay so, maybe they weren't like best friends again - but Steve couldn't stop the warm feeling that was building in his chest over how familiar this felt. Sure Tommy was still a dick, but Steve could be a dick sometimes too - and he fucking _missed_ this.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Steve gave a tiny wave as Tommy got into his own car, and Tommy flipped him the bird, before driving off into the night - probably to go find Carol and tell her about how much of an idiot Steve was.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Steve got into his own car, driving home and popping “The Awful Truth” into the VHS player in the living room. He expected it to be super boring, and was planning to fall asleep halfway through - but he actually found himself getting into it, he stayed up for the whole movie - and it was almost ten thirty by the time he finally fell asleep.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't share Tommy's sentiments about Nancy - I realized it might kind of seem that way, but really so far this fic has only really been from the perspective of people who have a reason to not like Nancy that much. I actually adore her, and don't want write her in as if shes the bad guy!


End file.
